The present invention relates to electric powered vacuum cleaners, and more particularly, to a hand-held, electric vacuum cleaner which is constructed for convenient and easy emptying of dirt and avoids spilling, which is lightweight and balanced for easy handling, and which is simple in design and includes a minimum of separate parts.
Vacuum cleaners include a variety of types ranging from heavy duty shop-type vacuum cleaners used in basements, work rooms, garages, etc., and cannisters and uprights used for medium to heavy-duty cleaning of floors and floor coverings, furniture, and draperies, to the so-called stick-type vacuum cleaners which are used for light-duty dirt pick-up such as kitchen floors, and some light carpet cleaning.
In addition, even smaller and lighter weight vacuum cleaners, some of which are battery operated, have also entered the market in recent years. These vacuum cleaners are often used in the kitchen, for example, for picking up dirt and crumbs on kitchen counters and tables and on kitchen floors, and are also used on stairs, shelves, workshops, or any hard-to-get-to areas.
Many of these smaller units suffer from being clumsy and difficult to handle as a result of poor weight distribution. An even more important problem with these vacuum cleaners is that the dirt collection means is difficult to empty, and often results in spillage when the unit is opened in attempting to empty the dirt. Also, these units often are poorly designed with many separate parts, have inefficient air flow and dirt pick-up characteristics, and have an objectionably small dirt collection capacity which requires frequent emptying.
Thus, even though a definite need exists for a small, handheld, light-duty vacuum cleaner of this type, the many problems attendant with existing units tends to discourage their use.